Choosing a phone strap: long or around your wrist, and how to attach it to any case
At a festival, on your bike, with a child by the hand or carrying two bags of groceries: there are plenty of moments when you want your phone within reach, but not in your hand. A phone strap solves that. You grab your phone, let go again and it just hangs there. And it no longer falls on the pavement, which for us at the repair counter is the most important argument.
I’m Job from ThePhoneLab. My colleague Yara, our accessories specialist, sums it up like this in her tip in the shop: “A strap or a Stick-n-Grip sounds like an unnecessary gadget, until you’ve used it for a week. After that you don’t want to go without.” I agree, and below I explain how to choose the right one and how to attach it.
In this blog, we discuss:
- Long or wrist: which phone strap suits you?
- Braided, leather, chain or beads: which material?
- How to attach a phone strap to any case
- Can your phone fall out of the strap?
- Strap or grip? Or both
Long or wrist: which phone strap suits you?
There are two lengths, and each has a different purpose. You wear a long strap cross-body or around your neck: your phone hangs at hip height and your hands are completely free. A wrist strap is short and sits as a loop around your wrist: you simply hold your phone, but if it slips out of your hand, it doesn’t fall.
How to choose:
- Cross-body (long): for festivals, cycling, walks with children, travelling and every day you don’t want to carry a bag. Choose an adjustable strap, so you decide how high your phone hangs.
- Around your neck (long): if you want to grab your phone quickly to scan or take photos, for example at work or on holiday.
- Wrist (short): if you take a lot of photos, are somewhere crowded or don’t want to drop your phone ever again. Also handy with a large phone.
In doubt? Ask yourself one question: do you want your hands free (long), or do you want to hold your phone without it falling (wrist)?
Swanky Swirl phone strap
Braided cross-body strap, adjustable, with a carabiner clip and a universal attachment strip. In lots of colours.
Braided, leather, chain or beads: which material?
You choose the material based on the weather and the occasion. Braided and polyester straps are light, can handle rain and come in lots of colours. Leather feels classier, and a metal link chain or pearls turn your strap into a piece of jewellery. In our phone strap collection you’ll find four styles:
- Swanky Swirl (braided): an adjustable cross-body strap with metal end pieces and a carabiner clip, so you unclip it in a second when you don’t need it. Sporty, in lots of colours.
- Loop Studio long (polyester, leather or chain): around your neck or cross-body. In polyester for every day, in leather if you wear the strap as part of your outfit, and as a metal link chain in gold or silver if you want to wear it as jewellery.
- Loop Studio wrist (polyester): a round 6 millimetre cord that sits comfortably around your wrist, with a metal ring that connects it to the attachment strip. In lots of colours.
- Wrist in chain or pearls (Pearl, Black Flower, Essential, Classic): wrist straps made of beads or links in gold or silver. Here the strap is just as much a bracelet.
My advice from the store: for everyday use, choose polyester or braided, because they can handle rain and sweat. Leather and chains look great, but save them for the moments your phone isn’t hanging out in the rain.
Pearl wrist strap
White pearls with a gold-coloured carabiner clip: just as much a bracelet. Also in silver.
How to attach a phone strap to any case
You attach a phone strap with the supplied universal strip: a thin tab with a small eyelet that you slide between your phone and your case, so the eyelet sticks out at the charging port. You clip or tie the strap to it. So you do need a case, but not a special one: it works with almost any case that is open at the bottom around the charging port. Which case really protects your phone, you can read in my blog about the case that really protects. Here’s how:
- Take the case off your phone.
- Place the strip on the back of your phone, with the eyelet sticking out at the charging port.
- Press your case back on over it. The strip is now clamped between your phone and your case.
- Clip or tie the strap to the eyelet and give it a firm tug to check that everything is secure.
Rather not use a strip? Then choose an iPhone case with strap eyelets, such as the Pearl Power case with a pearl strap in our iPhone cases: it has sturdy eyelets in the side, so you can easily switch to another strap from the collection. If you have a Samsung, the strip is the way to go. When you charge wirelessly, the strip usually doesn’t get in the way: the magnet ring sits in the middle of your phone and the strip stays at the bottom by the charging port. If the strip reaches the ring, slide it a little lower.
Loop Studio wrist strap
Round 6 millimetre polyester cord with a metal ring, comfortable around your wrist. In lots of colours.
Can your phone fall out of the strap?
A strap holds your phone as long as your case fits properly. The strip is clamped between your phone and your case, so the case is the link that carries the weight. A case that has stretched or gapes at the bottom will let go of the strip. So check two things before you head out with a strap: does your case click tightly around your phone everywhere, and is the strip straight, without pushing the case up on one side?
If you wear your phone cross-body on your bike or in a busy crowd, at least it won’t slide out of your trouser pocket and you always have it in sight. And if you do drop it, it hangs from the strap instead of landing on the pavement. Once the screen is broken, only a screen repair helps, and that costs a lot more than a strap.
Strap or grip? Or both
A strap keeps your phone with you, a grip keeps it in your hand. If you mainly want to stop dropping it while you scroll or take photos, a finger grip or MagSafe ring holder is sometimes more practical: one-handed grip and a stand in one. A Stick-n-Grip is different again: a flat holder with suction cups for the bathroom mirror or kitchen tiles, so you can follow a recipe hands-free. It sticks to your phone with a sticker or clicks on with MagSafe.
Many customers combine them: a strap for on the go, a grip for at home. Yara’s rule of thumb from the shop: “if you have an iPhone with MagSafe or a MagSafe case, always choose the magnetic version. You can move it, swap it and take it off without leaving marks.” A sticker goes on once, and it doesn’t hold well on silicone or Alcantara. Read her full tip on phone straps, grips and selfie sticks in the shop.
MagSafe ring holder
Clicks magnetically onto your phone or case: a finger grip for one hand and a stand for videos.
If you buy a strap together with a case and a grip, you pay for two of the three: the cheapest one is free, online and in our stores. Browse all phone straps or visit one of our stores to try them on.
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Do I need a special case for a phone strap?
No. With the supplied universal strip, you can attach the strap to almost any case that is open at the bottom around the charging port. If you don’t want to use a strip, choose a case with strap eyelets in the side.
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Does a phone strap fit every phone?
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Can I charge wirelessly with a phone strap?
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How do you wear a cross-body phone strap?
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How do I clean a phone strap?
About ThePhoneLab
For more than ten years, ThePhoneLab has been repairing phones, tablets and laptops, every day, throughout the Netherlands. Every repair starts with an honest diagnosis, no cure no pay, and then you choose what suits you: original parts or a more affordable alternative from our own brand, for every budget. Because repairing is almost always smarter than replacing, for your wallet and for the planet. No wonder customers give us a 9.5, in tens of thousands of reviews.
View all repairs or find a store near you.
